Process of manufacturing plastic objects from peat.



N9. 722,626. PATENTED MAR.- 10, 1903.

N. REIFJ PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING PLASTIC OBJECTS FROM PEAT.

' APPLIOIEATION FILED NOV. 10, 1902.

I0 MODEL.

Z252 M 3 3? 43. 2 .j a WAN/52' Mfg? UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

NICOLAUS REIF, OF W'UNSTORF, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING PLASTIC OBJECTS FROM PEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,626, dated March 10, 1903.

Application filed November 10, 1902. Serial No. 130,759. (No specimens.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICOLAUS REIF, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Wunstorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Manufacturing Plastic Objects from Peat and Like Materials, of which the following is a specification.

In the known processes for the manufacture of plastic objects from peat or combinations thereof with other fibrous materials, a binding material or a solution thereof is directly incorporated with the substance forming the base of the material by boiling, melting or kneading, or the fibers are dusted over with solid powdery binding material, and after the supply thereto of a solvent in the form of a vapor the mass so obtained is made homogeneous by kneading. In order to obtain homogeneous masses according to these processes, more especially those of the kind first mentioned, the destruction of the fibers and therefore of the felty structure of the final product is unavoidable or even nec essary, so that only products of small strength result. Moreover, the former processes suffer from the disadvantage that excessive quantities of binding material or solvents must be employed and that lengthy expensive drying processes are thereby rendered necessary,and consequently only imperfectly marked or formed coarse molded objects result.

The process forming the subject of this invention has for its object to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages of the known processes by the most intimate impregnation of the peat, &c., with the smallest necessary quantities of microscopically-fine powdered binding material or solutions thereof, more especially of tar or mixtures thereof with oil and resin and the hardening of this material after the incorporation thereof. by oxidation by the supply thereto of a finely-powdered and, if desired, vaporized oxidizing agent. For this purpose, according to requirements, the peat is torn into more or less large pieces or separated into fibers, and,if desired,mixed with other fibrous materials, and then the fluid binding agent or solution is forced by means of spreading jets or spraying apparatus at a high pressure as a microscopicallyfine dust thickly distributed over large surfaces into the continuously-moved mass and at the same time or later oxidizing substancessuch, for example, as chlorid of sulfur, nitric acid, &c.are supplied thereto in a similar manner and the oxidation process supported by vaporizing the oxidizing agent by the supply thereto of hot air or otherwise during the spraying, and thus all particles of the mass are simultaneously and uniformly oxidized. The extremely homogeneous impregnated fibrous material so obtained,which now contains the previously liquid binding material in'a solid form and in quantities only exactly necessary, is pressed or rolled into molds, if desired, with warming, and hardens during the molding in such a manner that an immediately ready most finely impregnated product of great firmness results. For many purposes it is permissible to impregnate the peat torn into small pieces and only afterward to separate it into fibers and oxidize it, in which arrangement a somewhat 'less uniformly impregnated mass results, which is preferably used for the filling of bulky pieces.

For the incorporation of the binding material into the fibrous material the centrifugal machine shown in sectional elevation in the accompanying drawing can be employed. This machine comprises a chamber which is divided into stages by plates a b c d and bears a distributer e, fitted with spreading or spraying nozzles, which distributer contains the fluid binding agents, &c.,which are driven through the nozzles by compressed air and are thus sprayed microscopically fine.

k is a support for securing the casing g to the shaft f, so that the said parts rotate together.

The centrifugal machine turns only very slowly in order that the fibrous material introduced at h is not compressed, but can slide down as a loose mass on the casing g, and the sprayed fluid binding material can be meanwhile forced in and uniformly distributed. The plate 0 prevents the immediate sliding down of the mass onthe casing g. When, however, the charge has reached up to the line n m by reason of the pressure atbcaused by the material afterward pushed in, material falls from 0 onto the plate 61 and is thrown ICO from there against the casing g and passes out automatically in proportion as fresh material enters at h. This centrifugal machine can also be used for drying the raw material if hot air is introduced into it from beneath, this air passing through the material, which slides down the casing g and escaping at the opening h.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A process of manufacturing plastic objects from peat, wherein the binding material, in a suitable finely-divided condition,is forced into the peat at a high pressure as a microscopically-fine powder, the whole, by means of an oxidizing agent supplied in the same manner, being converted into a solid condition, in which operation, in order to permit uniform oxidation of the particles of the mass, the oxidizing agent is vaporized if desired during the spraying thereof, so that while retaining the fibers,a product of a felty and most homogeneous structure is obtained, at the same time employing the smallest possible quantities of binding agent, substantially as described.

2. A process of manufacturing plastic objectsfrom peat, wherein a binding material containing tar is forced into the peat in a very fine state of subdivision and the whole, by means of an oxidizing agent supplied in the same manner, is converted into a solid condition, substantially as described.

3. A process of manufacturing plastic objects from peat, wherein a binding material containing tar, oil and resin is forced into the peat in a very fine state of subdivision and the whole converted into a solid condition by means of an oxidizing agent supplied thereto in the same manner as the binding material, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NICOLAUS REIF. Witnesses:

HERM. KLUSMEYER, MAX MCSLLER. 

